Sivananda Yoga Resort

[Lilly Solo]

TheSivananda Yoga Teacher Training Course was created by Swami Vishnudevananda in 1969. In 1957, Swami Sivananda sent Swami Vishnudevananda to America when yoga was still relatively unknown. Swami Vishnudevananda was the first yoga master to train people in the West in yoga teacher training courses. He designed the course to give students a comprehensive knowledge of both the practice and the philosophy of yoga.

In the Sivananda Yoga Teacher Training you will deepen your practice and gain the skills needed to teach Yoga. After graduation participants will receive an certification from the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers that confirma that they have the knowledge and experience to teach Hatha Yoga, and which qualifies them to apply for Registered Yoga Teacher (200 hour) status from the international Yoga Alliance

Pranayama, the science of prana control, consists of breathing exercises to enhance the health of body and mind. You will learn Kapalabhati and Anuloma Viloma (alternate nostril breathing) and practice daily. Also, you will be introduced to advanced pranayama. Pranayama may offer the following benefits:

Meditation is an integral part for the practice of Yoga. During this course you will learn the practical steps of meditation, what meditation is, and what meditation is not. In addition, you will learn that meditation is a spiritual journey to the realization of oneness.

During the course there will be a focus on japa meditation, or mantra repetition. We will learn how a Sanskrit mantra is a mystical energy encased in a sound structure. Through mantra repetition we will help create positive thought patterns.

Yoga philosophy will give you insight into understanding our true nature and the nature of reality, removing mistaken beliefs. A deeper understanding of yourself will help you find detachment and and release stress, bringing your mind and body into harmony with your life purpose. You will learn about karma and will start to understand the causes of your obstacles and challenges.

An important component of the yoga teacher training is that for one month you will study the lessons of the Four Paths of Yoga. By learning with the Gurukula system, you will transform detailed theory into practical understanding.

Bhakti Yoga is the Yoga of Devotion and teaches us how to open the heart and sublimate the emotions. You will enjoy the practice of Kirtan (chanting of classical Sanskrit mantras), learn about Indian mythology, and other traditional Indian rituals.

Raja Yoga is a system of 8 limbs yoga (also known as ashtanga yoga) starting with guidelines in ethical behavior and ending with meditation. Students will understand the interconnectedness of the different aspects of yoga techniques, all leading to better control of body and understanding of the mind. In fact yoga is meditation and meditation is yoga. Additionally, you will learn yoga psychology, positive thinking, and concentration theory and practice.

The yoga teacher training course requires a high degree of discipline and commitment. Prior mastery of Yoga practices is not necessary, however, previous practice of asanas and meditation is preferable. In order to best prepare for the intensive yoga teacher training schedule we recommend you to take a course at the yoga resort prior to the training. You may check our calendar for upcoming courses.

Swami Sitaramananda is an international teacher of Yoga, Meditation, and Philosophy for more then 35 years. She is a direct disciple of Swami Vishnudevananda and is a representative of the teachings of International SYVC in Vietnam. She is in charge of West coast USA centers and Asia centers. She is presently the main teacher of the Yoga Teachers Training Courses offered at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Farm, Grass Valley, CA where she is serving as the director for more then 20 years. She also teaches yearly at other Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Ashrams & Centers in India, Bahamas, Japan, and China.

Swami Narayanananda, who was born in London, England, has been a teacher of Yoga and meditation in the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers since 1999. He has served in the ashrams in California and New York, also as director of the Centers in New York and Chicago. He is a regular teacher for our Teacher Training and Advanced Teacher training courses in the USA, India and Vietnam. Swami Narayanananda has a compassionate and accessible teaching style firmly based in his own practice and in the study of scripture.

Swami Pranavananda, from the USA, and has been a Yoga and meditation teacher since 1995 in the US and abroad. He teaches mainly the Hatha Yoga and Anatomy sections for the TTC courses. He was the director of the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers in Los Angeles, CA and San Francisco, CA for some years. Currently he is serving in Vietnam teaching in the Hochiminh center. He enjoys taking classes to learn Vietnamese.

We took a long overnight night flight from Seattle to Charlotte, NorthCarolina, where we endured a layover from 6am to 10am. Luckily, wewere able to relax at the US Airways Club in Charlotte International.Barbara even got in a short nap. We arrived into the warm and humidair of Nassau, The Bahamas, at noon. Processing through Immigrationand Customs was very simple and friendly, and included free rumdrinks. We took a taxi through downtown Nassau to the ashram's privatedock. The boat ride from Nassau to Paradise Island is only 5 minutes long,but the atmosphere changes completely. Sivananda Ashram(photo, arrival atthe ashram) is next to Club Med, and on the other side of ClubMed, the famous Atlantis Resort.

We were booked into a deluxe cabin right on the white sand beach(photo,sandy beach), about 50 feet from the mild Atlantic Ocean(photo, cabinwindow view). The room is simple, no TV, no telephone, no airconditioning. With the mild weather of, 69-80 degrees F between nightand day, the ceiling fan seems to be sufficient. There is no privatebathroom in the unit either.

Life at the ashram runs on a rigid schedule. Every day we are expectedin the Temple first thing in the morning (6am) and last thing at night(8pm) for a half hour of silent mediation followed by 90 minutes ofchanting and spiritual teaching. Two yoga classes are conducted eachday 8am-10am and again 4pm-6pm. The yoga instruction is held on oneof three lovely outdoor platforms, two of which are on the bay side ofthe island, facing Nassau, the other facing the ocean on the beachside (photo,Oceanside Yoga platform). Two daily meals are included in thepackage price, mainly Hindu Vegetarian cuisine with no garlic, onionor eggs. The end of May marks the beginning of the low season at theashram, since it often starts to become rainy and hurricane seasonruns from June through October. The ashram's peak season sees 300people but we were among just a select dozen or so guests and somework-study folks. The work-study participants work a few hours a dayhelping the kitchen or housekeeping and receive a reduced rate ofaccommodation.

We met everybody at the dinner table and enjoyed our first eveningmeal with a lot of green salad and lots of carrots. Later that nightwe attended our first meditation and chanting session. It wasinteresting, though the mosquitoes were numerous and quite aggressive,which made it hard to concentrate and focus.

Wednesday morning we rose before 6am for a meditative silent walk downthe beach with the group. We walked past the front of the Club Med andcame to a small bay facing the sunrise. We sat on the beach meditatingand watching the sunrise. Back at the ashram, our first yoga classwas something of a challenge for both of us. The result is a pair ofnicely stretched if slightly sore bodies, and big appetite for themorning meal. One of our fellow diners was an artist and sometimeguitar player called Saambashiva, who was visiting and teaching yogaat the ashram. Richard and Saambashiva decided to play some musiclater after dinner. We also met Mr. Kendall Flowers, who does groundsmaintenance around the ashram and runs snorkeling trips on the sidewith his power boat. The weather was unusually nice for the season,so we joined a few other guests for a two-hour snorkeling trip -- veryfun. Mr. Flowers knows where the fish can be found. He threw a fewbread crumbs in the water so the fish would swarm near where we wereswimming and sometimes hit our bodies. There are so many fish in alldifferent shapes, colors and groups. We made a second stop is at thesite of a sunken ship. The top deck of the ship is about 5 feet underthe surface of the water, so we could see clearly the schools of tinyfish hiding in the holds. Some of them just hang around the sail pooland barely move, as if they are having a big conference meeting. Backfrom snorkeling, we attended another yoga session for two hours andthen enjoyed dinner. Afterwards, Richard took his flutes out and metwith Saambashiva for an hour or so to play some music together. Thesound of the music goes beautifully with the lazy Caribbean sunset(photo, BahamanSunrise). At temple time, we went to the meditation and chantingarmed with repellent covering our bodies. That was effective.

Thursday and Friday had about the same schedule, and we got quite usedto the chanting and meditation. The yoga seemed to be easier thoughwe were still sore all over. It is hard to believe what the teachersand some of the veteran students can do with their bodies. Once ortwice during the class we were not able to hold our chuckles. Afterstretching our legs out on the mat, the instructor said in a gentlesing-song voice, "Now without straining or hurting yourself in anyway, place your leg behind the back of your head." Of course we bothcould only hold our leg up atd chest height and already feel thepain. After morning meal on Friday, Richard went to the talk about thefive points of Yoga. Saturday afternoon he performed a short activityof Karma Yoga by volunteering to look at a small computer problem.During those afternoon times, Barbara just took a nice relaxing nap,passed out all the way till the afternoon yoga. We both felt our bodyclock slowing down, muscles more relaxed and calm.

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